Management of the natural ecosystems of the Cape Peninsula

Biodiversity and Conservation 5,671-6&l (1996)
Management of the natural ecosystems of the
Cape Peninsula: current status and future
prospects
B.W. van WILGEN
CSIR Division of Forest Science and Technology, Jonkershoek FRC, Private Bag X5011, Stellenbosch, 7599,
South Africa
Received 16 May 1995; accepted 31 August 1995
The Cape Peninsula is an area of outstanding natural beauty and exceptional biodiversity, worthy of
proclamation as a World Heritage Site. The area is dominated by fynbos vegetation, usually
managed by means of prescribed burning, together with various programmes aimed at the control of
invasive alien plant species.Effective management of the Peninsula is bedevilled by the fact that the
area is controlled by no less than 14 different public bodies, resulting in fragmentation of effort and
the lack of a standardized approach to management. Historically, many official and unofficial
investigations have called for this problem to be resolved, without success.The lack of coherent,
focused, and well funded fire and alien weed control management plans for the entire Peninsula is a
serious deficiency. Despite this, considerable progress has been made towards the establishment of a
database for the Peninsula, and the development of decision support systems that can utilize this
database for rational management. Adoption of such a system would provide a powerful uniting
framework that would standardize and influence the management approaches adopted by the
various controlling authorities.
Keywords: fynbos; management; GIS; information systems; conservation policy.
Introduction
In the preceding papers of this issue, the conservation importance of the Cape Peninsula
has been stressed (Cowling et al., 1996; Picker and Samways, 1996; Trinder-Smith et al.,
1996a), and a network of reserves that would adequately conserve the area has been
presented (Trinder-Smith et al., 1996b). However, the simple proclamation of areas as
nature reserves will not ensure the survival of the vegetation and all its unique biodiversity;
active management is needed, especially to ensure the maintenance of appropriate fire
regimes and to prevent invasion of conservation areas by alien plants (Richardson et al.,
1996).
Several features of the Cape Peninsula make it unique from the point of view of the
managers charged with its conservation. The Peninsula is in essence a mountain range
surrounded by urban development and the sea. Development pressure on the area is
intense; the population of the greater Cape Town area is currently 2.2 million, and will
reach 3.5 million by the year 2000, and 6.2 million by 2020, an annual increase of between 4
and 5%. This brings with it all the usual problems associated with the urban/wildland
interface in a fire-prone environment. There is also an enormous tourist pressure on the
0960-3115 0 1996 Chapman & Hall
672 van Wilgen
area. For example, approximately 400000 tourists visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature
Reserve each year; similar numbers ascend Table Mountain annually, leading to a need for
measures to prevent congestion and impacts, and for the provision of facilities. Special
measures are needed to protect the high numbers of endemic and rare plant species
(Simmons and Cowling, 1996; Trinder-Smith et al., 1996a) in the area, both from
development and invasion by alien plants (Richardson et al., 1996).
In this paper, I discuss the management of the Cape Peninsula’s natural areas. I provide
a brief review of the methods currently used in the management of fynbos ecosystems in
general, and evaluate the policies and practices of the landowners in the Peninsula with
reference to these methods. I discuss the history of proposals for the management of the
area, and outline an appropriate management system for the Peninsula.
Management of fynbos and forest ecosystems on the Peninsula
Excluding the areas developed for housing, agriculture and plantation forestry, the rugged
landscapes of the Cape Peninsula are covered mainly by fynbos vegetation, with small
patches of indigenous forest (Cowling et al., 1996). There are a variety of goals that
underpin the management of these undeveloped areas. The most important of these are
nature conservation, the reduction of fire hazard, enhancing water yield and catchment
stability, and providing for recreation and tourism. Achievement of these aims on the
Peninsula would normally be based on management practices developed elsewhere in the
Western Cape Province.
The aims of nature conservation are chiefly achieved through prescribed burning and
the eradication of alien trees and shrubs. Fynbos is a fire-prone vegetation type, and its
component species are dependent on fire. Prescribed fires are usually conducted at
intervals of 12-15 years, in late summer or early autumn (van Wilgen et al., 1990, 1992).
Alien trees and shrubs that replace fynbos are systematically contained, usually through a
combination of felling and burning (van Wilgen ef aE., 1992).
The reduction of fire hazard is usually also achieved through the application of
prescribed fires which pre-empt wildfires during hot, dry and windy conditions; it also
requires the removal of alien plants which increase fuel loads. In the Peninsula, where the
problems associated with the urbamwildland fringe are prominent, systems of firebreaks
have also been established in the past.
Many mountain areas in the Western Cape Province are important water catchment
areas, and they are managed to enhance water yield and maintain catchment stability by
means of regular burning and clearing of alien weeds. On the Peninsula the priorities are
different, but there remain some dams that are locally important sources of water. More
serious problems have been encountered with regard to the stability of some areas. The
increases in fire intensity associated with intense fires in heavily invaded areas have
resulted in increases in soil erosion and decreases in water quality. These changes are at
least in part due to the formation of water-repellent layers in the soil after intense fires
(Scott and van Wyk, 1990). In areas with a long history of invasion, chronic problems of fire
and soil erosion have developed, for example on the slopes of Table Mountain (Scott et al.,
1991).
Tourism and recreation are important activities on the Peninsula. The most important of
these include scenic drives, visits to special sites of interest (such as Cape Point, by road, or
the top of Table Mountain, by cablecar), picnicking and hiking. These activities are catered
Management of ecosystems 673
for through the provision of hiking trails and picnic sites, and are regulated through the
prohibition of barbecue fires at certain times of the year.
Small indigenous forest patches occur in areas such as Orange Kloof and Newlands. The
management of indigenous forest areas differs from fynbos in that alien plants are not as
great a problem, and fires are actively excluded to promote forest succession.
Land ownership on the Cape Peninsula
Natural landscapes in the Cape Peninsula have been grouped into a land category known
as a Protected Natural Environment. This status is conferred on deserving tracts of land in
terms of South Africa’s Environment Conservation Act. The act requires approval from
the provincial premier for any subdivision of land or the erection of any building. Land
within the Cape Peninsula Protected Natural Environment (CPPNE) is owned by a variety
of private and public landowners, and proposals for development within the CPPNE are
subjected to scrutiny and approval by a managing body known as the Management
Advisory Committee (MAC), before they are forwarded to the premier.
Public land forms the largest proportion (80%) of the CPPNE and is distributed
amongst 14 national, provincial, regional and local landowners (Table 1). The 20% of land
in private ownership is divided among more than 150 landowners. The largest proportion
(70%) of the CPPNE resorted under three authorities at the time of writing: the Regional
Services Council of the Cape (a regional body responsible for regional planning and
development), Cape Nature Conservation (the provincial conservation agency in the
Western Cape Province) and the Cape Town Municipality (a local body representing the
ratepayers of Cape Town). The South African National Defence Force (mainly the Navy)
also controls a small but significant proportion (5.3%) of the area.
The division of ownership within the relatively small land area of the CPPNE leads to
significant problems from an ecosystem management point of view. Land parcels are
fragmented, complicating fire management and alien weed control, and increasing the
need for interactions between neighbouring landowners. The distribution of public funds
among many agencies results in ineffective utilization of the funds for efficient
management. Priorities also differ between landowners, resulting in unto-ordinated or
even counter-productive management initiatives. The implications are discussed further in
the sections below.
Historic development of a management framework
A framework for the management of the Cape Peninsula has been the subject of
considerable attention this century. Despite this, management has been, and still is,
marked by divided control and accompanying deterioration. Conservationists have long
recognized that the Cape Peninsula is an asset of national importance. As early as 1929,
pleas were made by members of the Wildlife Society of Southern Africa for the
establishment of a National Park on the Peninsula (Pringle, 1982). Successive
Commissions of Enquiry have been appointed to address the problem of conservation
management on the Peninsula. In 1951, the van Zyl Commission investigated the
preservation of Table Mountain; in 1978 the report of the Hey Commission on the future
control and management of Table Mountain and the Peninsula was published (Hey, 1978);
1994 saw the release of a draft of the Kahn Commission’s report on the rationalization of
674 van Wilgen
Table 1. Controlling authorities of public and private land on the Cape Peninsula Protected Natural
Environment (CPPNE, total area = 29 119 ha)
Authority Status Major areas controlled Area
(ha)
Department of Public Works Central Government Devil’s Peak grazing 479
paddocks for large
ungulates
South African National Central Government Mountains above 1567
Defence Force Simonstown
South African Forestry State-owned Tokai State Forest 1400
Company Limited company
National Botanical Institute Central Government Kirstenbosch Botanical 222
Gardens
Cape Nature Conservation Provincial Cecilia State Forest: Devils 3676
Government Peak State Forest
Western Cape Regional Local Authority Cape of Good Hope 9882
ServicesCouncil Nature Reserve
Cape Town City Council Municipality Table Mountain Nature 5217
Reserve; Silvermine
Nature Reserve
Fish Hoek Municipality Municipality Local mountains and dune x7
areas; beaches
Simon’s Town Municipality Municipality Local mountain areas: 541
beaches
Constantia Valley Local Local Council Local mountain areas No data
Council
Llandudno Local Council Local Council Beaches No data
Kommetjie Local Council Local Council Beaches No data
Scarborough Local Council Local Council Beaches No data
Cape Rural Council Local Council Local mountain areas No data
Private land Private land: some Various smallholdings 5882
private nature
reserves have been
proclaimed
the management and control of the Cape Peninsula (Anon, 1994). as well as a report on
policy for multipurpose use of the Cape Peninsula (UCT, 1994a, b).
Several private initiatives have added substance to the growing concerns. In 1974, the
Cape Town Section of the Mountain Club of South Africa commissioned a report, based
on the observations of their members, that the mountain was deteriorating ‘so rapidly that
only the most energetic measures could save it’ (Hey, 1978). In 1976, members of the
Botany Department at the University of Cape Town published a report on Table
Mountain which concluded that the ecological status of the Mountain was ‘generally fairly
poor’ (Moll and Campbell, 1976).
All of these reports concurred remarkably in a number of their recommendations. These
included the need to control alien plants, to implement better fire management, to protect
and conserve the unique diversity of the area, and to place the control of the area under a
Management of ecosystems 675
single, authoritative body. A plethora of legislative steps have been taken as a result to
protect the Peninsula, including the proclamation of areas as municipal, provincial,
divisional council and private nature reserves, National Monuments, National Botanical
Gardens, State Forests and Nature Areas (later termed Protected Natural Environments).
However, the key problems, and the need for their solutions, remain. The area is managed
by 14 different authorities, uncontrolled fires continue to wreak havoc regularly, and alien
weed species prevail, and even expand, in many areas. Thirteen endemic plant species are
known to have become extinct, and many more face imminent extinction (Trinder-Smith et
al., 1996a).
The latest recommendations contained in the UCT policy report (UCI, 1994a) call for a
‘Cape Peninsula Heritage Area’, to be proclaimed in terms of the National Parks Act (Act
57 of 1976 in South Africa), and managed by a single authority, to be named the Cape
Peninsula Heritage Area Authority. In addition, they recommend that ‘vigorous action’
should be taken to have the area afforded the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Should this
combined status be realized, the ability to address the deterioration of the area would be
substantially enhanced.
Current policies, practices and funding
The policies of the various public landowners with regard to land management in the Cape
Peninsula were surveyed during 1994 (Table 2). This information forms the basis of the
discussion below.
Fire is of major importance in the management of fynbos ecosystems in the Cape
Peninsula. The one policy that is common to all management agencies is their stated
intention to combat wildfires. To this end, the Cape Peninsula Fire Protection Committee
has been formed. This committee, with reprentatives from all of the authorities owning
land in the CPPNE, is charged with co-ordinating fire-fighting activities in the area. This
committee represents the only real forum where land managers co-operate and pool
resources to a significant degree in the Peninsula. However, this committee has no brief to
consider conservation matters, and has only functioned sporadically over the past few
years.
The need for prescribed burning of fynbos vegetation on the Peninsula is recognized by
some landowners. These include Cape Nature Conservation and the Cape Town City
Council, who have stated policies to conduct prescribed burns. However, in practice this
intention is frustrated by (often misguided) public sentiment against burning, and by a lack
of funds. Other landowners stated that prescribed burning was not official policy, and yet
others had no policy at all. The lack of a coherent, focused, and well-funded fire
management plan for the entire Peninsula is a serious deficiency.
All public landowners stated that the control of alien weeds from their land was a
priority. In some areas, considerable progress has been made towards this goal. For
example, enormous progress has been made with the eradication of alien weeds from the
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (Macdonald et al., 1989). In the Table Mountain
Nature Reserve, success has been more limited, mainly due to a lack of funds (Moll and
Trinder-Smith, 1992). Without these efforts in the past, the conservation status of the
Peninsula and its unique species would have been far worse than it is today. Sporadic
attempts at control of alien plants have been made by other agencies, but they are often
Table 2. Management policies adopted by major public authorities in the Cape Peninsula Protected Natural Environment. The public authorities 8
listed are those that were in existence in December 1994 m
Major policies with regard to:
-------------------------------
Authority Fire Alien weeds Nature conservation Tourism and recreation
Department of No stated policy exists, and Alien weeds are controlled Natural pastures are Access is limited to areas
Public Works no prescribed burning has according to written plans maintained for ungulates outside of fenced pastures
been conducted or such as eland, black
planned. Wildfires are wildebeest and zebra
combated
South African No policy with regard to Alien weeds are controlled Broad policies on the No public entry allowed,
National Defence prescribed burning; according to written plans conservation of fauna and due to strategic nature of
Force wildfires are combated flora, exist for all Defence installations
Force land. Specific
policies for the CPPNE
lacking
South African Policy aimed at protection Policy calls for Where possible, natural Public use encouraged. No
Forestry Company of plantations of alien trees management of weeds. but ecosystems, communities entrance fees are charged,
Limited through maintenance of funding limits its and species, especially rare and picnic, hiking and
firebelts and selective application and endangered species. other facilities are
silvicultural burning are conserved provided
National Botanical No prescribed burning Alien weeds are eradicated Conservation of all species Public entry allowed and
Institute conducted: wildfires are according to a plan is a primary aim encouraged; nominal
combated entrance fees charged;
facilities provided
Cape Nature Prescribed burning Alien weeds are eradicated Conservation is the Free accessand facilities
Conservation conducted, but programme according to a plan primary aim of the provided for the public
impeded by public pressure organization
and lack of funds
Western Cape Natural fires are allowed to Alien weeds are eradicated Conservation of indigenous Public entry subject to
Regional Services burn when property not according to a plan fauna and flora a primary entrance fees; facilities
Council threatened; no prescribed goal; some exotic large provided
fires unless specifically mammals have been
recommended introduced as tourist
attractions; baboons are
‘controlled’
Cape Town City Prescribed burning is Alien weeds are controlled Conservation of Some areas have free
Council conducted (but programme according to a plan vegetation, fauna and rare access,others subject to
impaired by public species are called for in a entrance fees. Certain
pressure), and wildfires are formal policy document areas closed to the public
combated to reduce fire risk to forest
ecosystems
Fish I-Ioek Prescribed fires conducted; No formal plans exist to Concerns centre on dune Facilities maintained on
Municipality wildfires combated control alien weeds, but stability; make use of CSIR beaches; parking fees are
use is made of volunteer guidelines on dune charged
public groups management (Council for
the Environment, 1989)
Simon’s Town Fire Department conducts Informal policy calls for Informal policy is Entrance subject to a low-
Municipality burns to control aliens control of weeds, but funds frequently modified in cost permit, and certain
only; firebreaks are burnt; are limiting consultation with local areas around dams closed
wildfires are combated interest groups to the public. Facilities on
beach only
Constantia Valley Policies are those of the Weeds are controlled Policy follows CPPNE and No information
Local Council Western Cape RSC according to RSC policies RSC guideline
Llandudno Local Policies are those of the Weeds are controlled Policy follows CPPNE and No information
Council Western Cape RSC according to RSC policies RSC guideline
Kommetjie Local Policies are those of the Weeds are controlled Policy follows CPPNE and Access allowed, no
Council Western Cape RSC according to RSC policies RSC guidelines entrance fees
Scarborough Local No policy No policy No policy No policy
Council
Cape Rural Policies are those of the Policies are those of the Policies are those of the No information
Council Western Cape RSC Western Cape RSC Western Cape RSC
van Wilgen
frustrated by a lack of funds and expertise to conduct effective eradication campaigns. In
addition, certain organizations have other priorities; for example, data on the distribution
of alien plants show that the Defence Force are custodians of the worst infestations on the
Peninsula, despite a policy aimed at the elimination of alien weeds. Again, the lack of a
co-ordinated and directed plan for the management of alien weed infestations on the entire
Peninsula is a glaring vacuum. In the case of both fire management, and alien weed
eradication, the division of the pool of available staff among 14 agencies results in dilution
of the necessary resources to a point where effectiveness is seriously impaired.
Two studies have documented the past attempts by management agencies to control
alien invasive plants over time, based on resurveys of marked plots in the field (Macdonald
et al., 1989; Moll and Trinder-Smith, 1992). Macdonald and his co-workers showed that
control attempts in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve between 1941 and the late
1970s failed mainly because of a lack of both an understanding of the ecology of the species
concerned, and a systematic control strategy. Once a systematic strategy had been devised
and implemented in the late 1970s significant progress was made with eradication
(Richardson et al., 1992). Moll and Trinder-Smith’s study (conducted within the Table
Mountain Nature Reserve) concluded that ‘carefully planned and intensive clearing
programmes’ could contain and possibly eradicate aggressive aliens. However, due to a
lack of funds, this was not being achieved, resulting in significant increases in the frequency
of some invasive species. These studies called for the appointment of qualified ecologists.
and a single management authority, to ensure that the identified shortcomings could be
remedied. While ecologists are now employed by the larger agencies, the goals of a single
authority and adequate funding remain elusive.
With regard to nature conservation, many agencies have commendable policies. These
do differ from agency to agency, however, and reflect the different mindsets of
policymakers. For example, large mammals such as mountain zebra, bontebok, hartebeest,
eland, black wildebeest and others (most not, or only marginally, indigenous to the area)
are maintained on the Peninsula for putative conservation reasons. Other agencies place
more emphasis on the conservation of plant species. Others who have broad conservation
objectives do not meet these in practice. A good example is the Navy, which maintains a
shooting range in a wetland above Simonstown that contains numerous plant species found
nowhere else in the world. These anomalies are not intentional, but result from ignorance
or historic decisions in many cases. The effective conservation of biodiversity by local
municipalities (who do not have the resources to acquire the necessary expertise), or
national agencies such as the Navy (whose priorities obviously lie elsewhere) simply
cannot be achieved.
Despite the calls for ‘adequate funding’ by concerned conservationists, it has proved
extremely difficult to establish what has been spent in the past, and what should be
regarded as adequate in the future. For example, the study on a draft policy (UCT, 1994b)
tried, without success. to obtain information on the operating costs of managing the
CPPNE. This failure was attributed to the fact that the area is managed by many different
authorities and individuals, with different cost centres and overhead structures, with
separate cost centres not being kept for the CPPNE, and with the same personnel and
equipment often being used both within and outside the CPPNE. The UCT study
concluded that ‘. . . as a consequence, it is not possible to compare the effectiveness and
true cost of the current management of use of the CPPNE with that of similar undertakings
elsewhere’. This is unfortunate, as common sense suggests that rationalization of staff and
Management of ecosystems 679
resources under a single, united and goal-directed agency would surely be more efficient
than the current situation.
A database for the Cape Peninsula
There is no question that an asset such as the Cape Peninsula deserves to be professionally
managed. The management and policy decisions that affect the area should flow from
dependable information on the area, coupled with the application of sound ecological
principles that rely on good information as inputs. There is also a need to collect, store and
retrieve information on the environment in order to monitor progress towards stated
management goals, such as the achievement of a mosaic of post-fire ages, or the systematic
control of alien plants.
Despite this need, no reliable database that could support professional management of
the entire area exists. For much of the area, no fire records are kept, attempts at the control
of alien plants go unrecorded, and there is no way of assessing the amount of money spent
on the management of the area. Much of this problem arises from the divided control of the
area. Where records are kept, they are not in a standard format.
However, there is a large amount of information available for the area. For example, the
recently-completed study on a policy for multipurpose management of the area listed 454
references to studies carried out in the CPPNE. Tens of thousands of plant specimens are
stored in herbaria (Trinder-Smith et al., 1996a), and hundreds of phytosociological plots
have been enumerated (Simmons and Cowling, 1996) resulting in the classification of
vegetation for most areas (Cowling et al., 1996). The soils and geology of the area have
been mapped, and numerous ecological studies have been carried out. Fire records exist on
maps for the main nature reserves. A collaborative venture between local ecologists from
the CSIR, the University of Cape Town, and the Cape Town City Council has resulted in
the collation of the information into a spatial database stored on a geographical
information system (Table 3). This database has been used to support many of the analyses
presented in the papers in this special issue. The database could also be used to underpin
the management of the CPPNE by a future unified management agency. This proposal is
discussed in the next section.
Using information technology in routine management
Advances in modern computer technology have enabled ecosystem managers to store,
retrieve and analyse large amounts of spatial data. A number of computer-based
management systems have been developed to enhance this ability, including one
specifically aimed at the management of fire-prone fynbos ecosystems (Le Maitre et al.,
1993; Richardson et al., 1994). The system comprises a central geographical information
system for managing and processing spatial data, linked to personal computers with simple
rule-based models for decision-making. The current applications include the prioritization
of areas for burning, monitoring the success of fire management, mapping of fire hazard for
fire control planning, and the production of management summaries and statistics. The
database described in Table 3 was developed to be compatible with this system.
There are a number of advantages to using the system on the Cape Peninsula. These
include:
Table 3. Salient features of an existing spatial database on the Cape Peninsula, with notes on its potential use in the management of the area. The g
database has been captured on a geographical information system (Arc/Info) in a format suitable for use by a customized ecosystem management o
system (see text)
Data layer Description Source Potential use to management
Vegetation A classification of the vegetation, based Institute for Plant Management prescriptions can be based on
on structural attributes and limited Conservation, vegetation type. Fuel characteristics are also
floristic data mapped on orthophotos at University of Cape related to vegetation type, and used to
1:lOOOO scale Town assessfire hazard for wildlife control
Indigenous plant species Compiled from over 22 000 herbarium Bolus Herbarium, Knowledge on the occurrence of endemic,
distribution records and over 800 phytosociological University of Cape rare and endangered species that could
plots. Data are at a resolution of 1 km2. Town; Proteaceae Atlas influence management decisions.
Exact locality data for plants of the Project, University of Proteaceae are well know ecologically and
Proteaceae family have been collected Cape Town can be used as indicator species for
as part of an atlas project selecting appropriate fire intervals and
seasons
Alien plant species Data are recorded by species, divided CSIR Division of Forest Knowledge on the occurrence of alien
into seven density classesbased on Science and Technology species will influence decisions of when and
aerial cover, and mapped on 1:lOOOO where to burn, and will be used to prioritize
orthophotos areas for clearing operations. Data are used
as a basis for an expert system to advise on
clearing methods, and for monitoring the
progress of clearing operations
Fires Coverages giving the perimeter and Cape Town City The post-fire age of the vegetation, and
date of each fire (at a 1:lOOOOscale). In Council, and Regional date of the last burn, are used to decide on
some areas. coverage dates back to Services Councit priority areas for prescribed burning, the
1962: in other areas no records exist records exclusion of fire, and (together with
vegetation types) the calculation of fire s
hazard indices. Post-fire age is related to the e
vital attributes of indicator species to assist &
decisions 8
Land ownership and Boundaries of areas, with information Cape Nature Useful in co-ordinating management
status; reserve on ownership (private or public land) Conservation; Deeds actions. Legal requirements (e.g.
boundaries at a 1:lOOOO scale. Conservation status Office notification of intention to burn) can be met
in terms of prevailing legislation
Rainfall Isohyets of mean annual rainfall Generated from a Calculation of potential runoff, and erosion
raingauge network hazards
database and standard
algorithms by the
Computing Centre for
Water Research
Management units Boundaries of management units Cape Town City Serve as a basis for conducting prescribed
within the Table Mountain, Silvermine Council, and Regional burns and alien weed control operations,
and Cape of Good Hope Nature Services Council and historically for record-keeping in
Reserves, at 1:lOOOO scale. These are records general
parcels of land ranging from 100-500 ha
in size
Soils A classification of the soils into Soil and Irrigation Useful for determining potential for
homogenous units, at a 1:20000 scale Research Institute development, locating roads and footpaths,
and erosion potential
Infrastructure Location of roads, footpaths, dams, Cape Town City Knowledge of location of infrastructure in
beacons, radio towers, cableways and Council, and Regional relation to management operations,
any other infrastructure, at 1:lOOOO Services Council especially prescribed burning and combat of
scale records wildfires
Contours, digital terrain Contours at 10 m intervals. Digital Digitised from 1:lO 000 Information on altitudes, slope and aspect.
model terrain model (giving slopes and orthophotos Calculation of visual impacts of
aspects) generated by the geographic development. Line of sight information for
information system location of radio repeater stations
682 van Wilgen
(i) Access to reliable and comprehensive information and rule-based models. to
support management decisions. This is especially important for agencies that lack
the resources needed to employ the necessary ecological expertise.
(ii) Greater efficiency in the use of information. The enormous amount of information
collected on the Cape Peninsula is both inaccessible and in danger of being lost. The
costs of access can be greatly reduced by the system. Where information is lost, it is
difficult to quantify the value. The environmental costs would manifest themselves
as a result of poor management decisions, taken in the absence of (lost)
information, or in the cost of gathering the information again.
(iii) The adoption of a single management system, based on a database for the whole
Peninsula, would provide a powerful uniting framework that would standardize
and influence the management of the various controlling authorities.
(iv) Strategic initiatives (such as the planning exercises routinely embarked upon)
would derive enormous benefit from a standardized database.
Conclusions
The management of the Cape Peninsula suffers from a lack of funding and unto-ordinated
control. The establishment of a Protected Natural Environment, and its Management
Advisory Committee, has improved matters only marginally. In view of the threats facing
the area (Richardson er al., 1996) and its unquestionable value as a national and global
asset (Cowling et al., 1996) these drawbacks are highly undesirable. They have been
recognized for a long time, and have now culminated in calls for the proclamation of the
area as a National Park and a World Heritage Site. under the control of a unified
management authority (UCT, 1994a). The fact that these recommendations arise from an
exercise in which full public participation was used to determine a policy, makes the
continued maintenance of the status quo even more questionable.
The consequences of continued failure to manage the Peninsula in a unified and
professional manner would be serious for environmental quality in general, and for
biodiversity in particular. Invasion by alien plants cannot be effectively controlled on a
piecemeal basis, and failure to contain the invasions will result in a loss of biodiversity.
increases in fire hazard and control problems, more erosion, and a loss of the unique
character of the area. Fires, which require management to prevent damage to property and
infrastructure, to prevent the spread of alien weeds and to ensure survival of the
fire-adapted fynbos, also cannot be effectively managed by fragmented agencies. The
inefficient expenditure of funds by numerous agencies that lack common goals and
strategies represents a waste of public funds as well as a significant threat to the continued
survival of many species of unique plants and animals.
The solution to the problem of effective and efficient management of the Cape
Peninsula will require political will. If ever there was a situation that called for the cutting
of the Gordian knot, the management of the Cape Peninsula epitomizes it. The successive
calls for unified control have not succeeded in the past, though this solution is clearly
needed, and desired by most people. The advantages are clear. They will result in far better
protection of what amounts to a global resource, significantly help to control
environmentally unsound development and environmental degradation, with positive
spinoffs for the quality of life for local inhabitants, increases in tourism, and the creation of
Management of ecosystems 683
jobs. If these advantages can be generally accepted, it should be possible to achieve the aim
of unified professional management that has been so elusive up to now.
Acknowledgements
I thank the CSIR Division of Forest Science and Technology for funding this work, and my
colleagues Blair Ludbrook, Clare Jones, David McKelly, Dave Richardson, and Richard
Cowling for useful contributions to this paper.
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